Improvement in flowing-machines



H. MOESER;

Steam-Plow.

Patented Nov 10. T857..-

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

HENRY MOESER, on PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN P'lLOWlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,596, dated November10, 1857.

lowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in running a plow or a number ofplows in a direction transverse to that of the progressing mochinerybymeans of a chain or chains, to which the plows are attached, and whichare operated by the steam-engine on the carriage, said chains beingcarried by conducting-rollers on a. transverse beam, which is connectedwith the steam-carriage in such a manner that it may freely accommodateitself to any unevenness in the surface to be plowed, all the partsbeing made so that the plow or plows may be run transversely such adistance as may be deemed most advantageous when the steamcarriageprogresses or moves forward with such a speed only as to allow the plowor each of the-plows to take its furrow.

To enable others skilled in the art .to make and use myinvention,I willproceed to descrih its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective, View ofthe steamcarriage and plow arrangement; Fig. 2, a top view of the same,and Fig. 3 a vertical section of the same through the line I I I of Fig.

In all these figures the same letters of reference are marked on likeparts.

A is the frame of the steam-carriage; B B B B, the wheels on which thesame is set, and of which B B are the driving-wheels.

G is the steam-boiler and its smoke stack 5 D, the steam-engine, whichis represented here as being a rotary.

E E is a frame-work for supporting the wheel-gearin gs which communicatethe motion from the'steam-engine to the chains for pulling the plows.

F is a transverse beam or frame supported on its ends by the wheels G G,and connected with the steam-carriage by means of the parallel links a,a a a.

M M are braces connecting the two side pieces of the beam or frame F,and receiving the pivots of the links a a.

N is a rail, kept firmly between the two side pieces of the transversebeam F by means of the pieces b I), this rail being for the purpose ofguiding the plows.

H H are endless chains, to which plows are attached; J J J J, pulleys onthe beam F for supporting and carrying the chains.

K K are the driving-pulleys of the endless chains, they being providedwith teeth or projections entering into the links of the said chains.

tion of the steam-carriage or propelling ma- L L represent theplow-carriages, which are a composed of the plow-beams O G, the plows dd, fastened on the plow-beams, the guiding- --1 wheels 0 e,which areplaced so as to pass in the furrow in front of the plow, and the forked:pieces f f, by which the plows are guided on the guiding-rail N. Theplow-beams O O are extended at the back ends so as to form plates 5g 9,which slide over the unplowed ground or fland behind the plow, and onwhich weights Eh h are fastened.

Each plow-carriage is connected with the chains H by the transverseishaft t on the plow-beam, the end pivots of ithe same being allowed toturn in the corresponding links of the chains, and the weights -h h aremade sufficiently heavy to counterbal- "ance the weight of theguiding-wheel c and other parts of the plow-carriage in front orbebefore the shaft i. The whole weight of the plow-carriage is such thattheplowis kept by it in the ground. Provisions may be made that theplows can be set lower or higher in relation to the plow-beams, so thata deeper or shallower furrow may be dug.

The motion is communicated from the steamengine tov the endless chainsby means of the pinion 1, set on the engineshaft, which gears into thecog-wheel m and the shaft n. Thetwo pinions 0 0, set firmly on the sameshaft, drive the wheels 12 p, fastened on the shafts of thedriving-pulleys K K. The shaft to has to be high enough above thepulleys K K that the plow-carriages do not come into contact w1th itwhen passing over the pulleys K K. The whole arrangement of thewheel-gearings 0 0 1) p, driving-pulleys K K, and conducting-pulleys J Jis such that all these parts do in no way interfere with theplow-carriages when passing through between them.

The propelling of the steam-carriage is of driving-wheels B B of thesteam-carriage. Thus the carriage receives a slow progressing motion.

In the drawings there is no arrangement shown by which thesteam-carriage is steered, as this may be done in any known manner andhas no reference to my invention.

The object in connecting the transverse beam F with the steam-carriageby links a a is to allow the beam to accommodate itself freely to anyunevenness in the surface of the ground,- said links allowing it to playup or down, or even take an inclined position in relation to thesteam-carriage. This variation in the position of the beam does not,however, affect or disturb the true connection and correct operation ofthe wheel-gearings, which transmit the motion from the engine to thechains by the arrangement of supporting all these parts by a frame-work,E, which is firmly fastened to the carriage-frame, and is therefore notinfluenced by the variations in the positionof the transverse beam. Thechains H H, lying on the driving-pulleys KK, will yield sufficiently toallow the frame F to play up or down or to incline to the one or otherside to such an.extent as may be required to accommodate itself to anysuch unevenness in theground as may occur. I

The operation of the described machine is as follows: The engine, whenset in motion, communicates, by the pinion 1, wheel m, pinionso 0, andwheels 19 p and driving-pulleys K K, a continuous circuitous motion tothe endless chains H H, and thus to the plows attached thereto,in thedirection as indicated by arrows. The plows will set into the ground atthe pulleys J J andbe lifted out of the ground at the pulleys J J, fromwhere they return (above the ground) back to the pulleys J J again, 850.The plows are attached to the chains in such distances from each otherthat the one is just setting into the ground when the other is liftedout. I prefer using only two plows, in which case only one plow iscutting through the ground at the time; but there may be any number ofplows used, which have to be distributed so as to be in equal distancesapart on the chain. Thus, if four plows are attached, two would alwaysbeoperating and the other two returning. After a plow is set into theground (at the pulleys J J) the plow-carriage as it moves along getsunder the guiding-rail N, so that the forks f f branch up on both sidesof the rail, whereby the carriage is guided as it continues its motion.Near the pulleys J J the forks leave the guidingrail, and the carriages,after being lifted from the ground and returning back, pass above andclear off the guiding-rail. The forks are cut out sufliciently to allowthe plow-carriage to rise or sink according to any unevenness in thesurface to be plowed. When the plows are in operation thesteam-carriage, together with the plow arrangement, receives a slowprogressing motion by means of the pinion y, screw 1, and screw-wheel 8operating on the drivingwheels B B, so as to set the same in a slowrevolvin g motion. The progressing motion has to be such that each plowas it sets into the ground takes a new furrow of a proper width. Thus,if two plows are used, as represented in the drawings, the progressingmotion is to be twice the width of a furrow for each complete circuitmotion of the endless chains, and if six plows were attached to thechains the motion of thesteamv-carriage would have to be equal the widthof six furrows for each complete rotation of the chain, in order to haveeach plow to take a'furrow.

It is obvious that different and various arrangements can be made tocommunicate the motion from the engine to the chains, and also to thedriving-wheels of the steam-carriage. This arrangement depends partly onthe kind of engine used, and its location on the carriage.

The hereindescribed means for this purpose show only onemanner ofefiecting these ends in a simple manner.

I do not claim broadly the operating of a gang of plows on an endlesschain transversely orobliquely to the line of draft; but

I claim 7 o 1. The arrangement and combination of the transverse beam F,connecting-links a a, chains ,H H, driving-pulleys K K, pulleys J J,andwheels G G, or any other equivalent devices,

when operating in relation to each other and to the steam-carriage,substantially as herein fully setforth, and for the purpose described.

,2. The arrangement of the guiding-bar N,

supported 'on the transverse beam F, and the forks ffon theplow-carriages, or any other arrangement substantially the same, for thepurpose of guidin g the plow-carriages as described.

HENRY MOESER. Witnesses:

JOHN KOPPITZ, AND. MILLASTER.

